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Young, Deaf Pit Bull Dumped At Shelter Just Wants To Snuggle

The white pit bull mix dropped off at Brooklyn Animal Care Center on Tuesday was so small, shelter staff thought he was a puppy at first. Turns out, he's full grown and 2 or 3 years old - and just 24 cuddly pounds.

Not much is known about the dog's past, but he was a family dog - abandoned at the city shelter when his owners had housing issues. He was described by shelter staff on intake as "very friendly." He's a total cuddlebug who previously lived with kids and loves other dogs, Marisa Grimshaw of the New York rescue group Mr. Bones & Co. told The Dodo after she visited him at the ACC Friday morning.

His name was Mello, but Grimshaw named him Clooney since he's so handsome and charming.

"He's bouncy and happy but settles down really quickly and immediately wants to sit in your lap," Grimshaw said. "He literally alternated laps between me and Cait, one of our volunteers. He was so eager to give out kisses and put his little paws on our shoulders to get better leverage for smooching!"

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Mr. Bones & Co.

"He walked pretty nicely on leash, was happy and curious to be outside, but most interested in saying hello to any person he could!" she added.

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Mr. Bones & Co.

And Clooney may be deaf. ACC medical staff believes he is completely deaf, but Grimshaw says he's suffering from a severe ear infection, which has caused his ears to become extremely red and swollen. It will be hard to tell whether he has any hearing left until the ear infection is treated by a vet.

Thankfully, Mr. Bones & Co. plans to pull Clooney from the shelter through their One Lucky Pup program in partnership with The Dodo and get him all the care he needs. You can help with his vet bills by donating below - and watch his rescue from the shelter on Monday around 3 p.m. EST. We'll be streaming live from The Dodo's Facebook page.